Legacy of Weapon X
by Xeno boiler 5
Summary: A year after Laura Kinney joined the X-Men, Logan realises a major piece in their shared history has come back to haunt them both. As an old 'friend' resurfaces, the Wolverine faces the return of the Weapon X programme and the latest in their line of mutant clones. One who may prove to be the ultimate soldier they sought to create...
1. Prologue

Dr. Stockton shifted uneasily in his seat. What could be taking that damned mercenary so long? He looked backwards towards the door as if reminding himself he was not alone. The grey metallic room was empty save for the desk and two chairs situated on parallel sides. One was occupied by the scientist, while the doors both behind and in front of him were flanked by two security officers, armed with M4A1 assault rifles and adorned in jet-black uniforms and kevlar armour, their faces hidden behind skull-like breathing masks. Although reassured by their presence, Stockton remained unnerved by their shared statuesque stance. The door in front of him opened and the man Stockton was waiting for entered. "No, not a man." Stockton thought to himself. "An abomination. A failed experiment." The man sat down in the empty chair before leaning back as though he owned the place, crossing both feet on the table.  
"So you're the mystery contractor?" The mercenary asked. "Mr. I-cannot-divulge-the-details-of-this-job-unless-you-accept-it-in-advance-and-in-person." Not used to dealing with someone of such blatant sarcasm, Stockton silently placed the document he has been clutching the whole time on the table. "Who said I was taking the job?"  
"Excuse me?" The scientist frowned.  
"I'm just here to put you down!" The mercenary drew a pistol and aimed for Stockton's face before the guards jolted into action. The room was filled with a deafening symphony of gunfire as the mercenary flailed uncontrollably, countless bullets shredding his red and black uniform. Stockton uncovered his head once the shooting stopped and stared at the ruined form of his would-be assassin. "You know" The mercenary sat up, his tone more of mild annoyance than anything. "I was just kidding! You didn't have to take it that far!" As Stockton stared, he could clearly see the uncountable bullet wounds of the mercenary sealing before his eyes. "Seriously, that's just rude." The man snapped at one of the guards, who paid no response.  
"If we can return to the matter at hand here?" Stockton asked, his anger obvious in his tone. He pressed the document towards the mercenary who picked it up and opened it immediately.  
"Okay, so the target is..." The mercenary sighed as he lowered the papers. "I don't know what sort of reputation I've got going on, but I don't kill kids."  
"This one is necessary, I'm afraid." Stockton responded, desperate to maintain what may be the best possible solution to resolving such a major threat.  
"I dunno doc." The mercenary looked at the papers again. "I mean, 'Specimen-023' isn't really a name. Unless, someone reading this shit actually goes by that, in which case, I apologise."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Never mind." The mercenary continued reading. "Okay, subject ID: Specimen-023, (I doubt it.) age: 16 years. Mutant abilities: classified." The mercenary dropped the document. "So you want me to kill some kid and you keeping it zipped on why?" Without a word, Stockton reached under the desk and withdrew a briefcase which he placed on the table.  
"Your payment, should you succeed." He stated. The mercenary stood up, his hand hovering excitedly over the case before he quickly withdrew it.  
"Alright, you've got a deal." He said as he leaned forward to shake the man's hand. "There is a mouthwatering sum of money in there, right?" he asked. "This better not be one of those 'You've been scammed sweetheart' kind of things."  
"Rest assured, Mr. Wilson" Stockton waved him off. You're employment is of great expense to us.  
"It better be." The mercenary responded as he opened the door to leave. "Oh and by the way" he called back. "That's not how you pronounce Deadpool."


	2. The Clone

She heard it as it lunged forward, hands reaching for her throat. The robot sailed harmlessly over her as she ducked, and turned on landing in time for her to launch her fist into its faceplate, a pair of adamantium-coated claws protruding from her knuckles driving through the metal head. As the robot went limp, she turned quickly to face another, only to receive a cold iron fist colliding with her face. With a snarl, she swung her claws at her attacker, unaware of more featureless robots approaching from every entrance in the danger room. With every strike, her anger swelled, resulting in her attacks becoming increasingly careless and the automatons taking advantage of more and more opportunities to strike. Down on all fours, surrounded by glorified training dummies, she slowly raised her head towards the robot directly in front of her, black hair obscuring most of her face, contorted by rage. With a feral scream, she drove both pairs of claws into the robot's midsection and threw it at another. An iron foot whacked against her knee, bringing her down again. The machines descended on her, stomping and punching the screaming, flailing mutant. A high-pitched siren screeched throughout the danger room, prompting the robots to cease their attack and distance themselves from the battered teenager. Her anger still unsatisfied, she launched herself at one of them. It gave no resistance as she swung her claws wildly at its silver casing, snarling as each swipe removed a layer of circuitry and components, nor did any of the remaining machines make any move to intervene. "Alright kid, cool off!" A man called across the danger room. She halted in her savage dismantling to cast a dirty look towards the source of the voice. Logan smirked at the carnage before him, crossing his arms as he leant against the door frame. "Not gonna lie kid, Charles is gonna get pissed when he sees the bill." Catching her breath, Laura stood up straight, pulling a shard of scrap metal from her claw. "I could have taken them!" She shouted to him.

"Not bad at all kid" Logan commented as his clone left the changing room, having replaced her training uniform with more casual clothing. "You screwed up around somewhere near the end of that. I'm guessing you get how."  
"Actually, yes." Laura replied, not bothering to hide her frustration. "I didn't notice the damn iron legion coming from behind!"  
"You were fighting angry." Logan told her. "You take em out one at time, not see how much you can mess up one guy." Even as he said it, he could tell from her expression he made his own mistake.  
"Last I checked, you get pissed easy!" Laura replied, her voice rising with her annoyance. She stormed out of the changing room before Logan could correct his error.  
"That's not what I-where you going?"  
"Out."  
"Out where?"  
"Somewhere."  
"Alright. Don't do anything stupid." Logan listened but heard no answer. "Kids." he murmured to himself. He looked back into the danger room, at the remains of the training robots built only to be dismantled, to be the punching bags of the X-Men. "Iron legion." Logan thought to himself with a smirk. "Should probably start sending Stark the bills if he coughs up better punching bags." The mutant pondered on how much things have changed since he met Laura, since she tried to kill him.

One minute, he was just minding his own business one night, and before he knew it; some teenage girl comes out of nowhere with a bone to pick with him. It didn't take long before he realised she had the same mutant powers he did, from the accelerated healing to the adamantium blades hidden in her hands. Had Logan not received the information from the girl's mother, he would have been less prepared than he was. He thought the atrocities of the Weapon X programme were behind him, that he was free from them for good. Then he was contacted by Sarah Kinney, a scientist working for the programme. In her message, she told him about her daughter Laura, the twenty-third attempt of the programme to clone him, the horrific experiments and tortures inflicted on her for the whole duration of her life to mould her into a weapon, and the string of murders they forced her to commit for the sake of filling their pockets. He tried to investigate the facility, only to find that everyone on site was dead, including Kinney herself. Some time later, they fought. On beating him (something he was still embarrassed to admit), she revealed her wish for death, caused by her own self-loathing, and her belief that he was responsible for the horrors she endured from birth simply because she was made from his blood. Although he wasn't one for talking out his problems, Logan managed to talk her out of finishing him off (or at least trying it) and convinced her to let him help her put Weapon X behind her. Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D and that dumbass Rogers screwed everything up and it took another two years before he could make good on his promise. "So far, so good." he thought to himself. Since attending 'Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters,' Laura has become a little less quiet and even ended up fighting alongside the X-Men, finally finding a good reason to fight by her own choice. Then again, she still won't talk about what she's been through, yet Logan can tell it still bothers her. He didn't like it. If anyone can understand what was done to her, he would. So why doesn't she trust him enough to get any of it off her shoulders? "I need a drink." Logan said to himself, interrupting his train of thought. He can't exactly say much about his own ordeal at Weapon X. Unlike her, he barely remembers any of it.

The mercenary shifted in the tree branch, attempting to eat a chocolate bar he packed before realising he forgot to remove his mask. He looked up, wondering if the sun setting gave him adequate cover to surprise his target. If not, so what? He can't die anyway. "Unless of course this horse-shit story shoehorns in some shitty "anti-Deadpool" plot point completely flipping off whatever's supposed to be canon in this universe." he thought to himself. As he began to get bored, hoping he'd get to volunteer a nearby squirrel for target practise, Deadpool heard something. Something in the general direction of the X-Mansion. Retrieving a pair of binoculars, he looked towards the source of the sound and grinned under his mask. He had a clear shot at his target, should he decide to go for a long range take down. At least, if he was truly going to break the only rule he willingly followed in his insane life as a soldier of fortune (and chimichangas). "Nope." He said to himself. "Up close and personal. That's the way to do it."  
"That's a horrible idea." He heard the voice in his head warn him.  
"You said that about taking this contract." He said to himself.  
"Its still a bad idea. They'll never fall for-"  
"Shushushushushushushushush." Deadpool whispered. "Let's not spoil it for the readers."  
"But surely they can figure out-"  
"Enough!" He said to the air. "This fourth-wall joke has been stretched out for too long. Time to be awesome."

Laura knew she could smell something, but simply ignored it. She was still too angry. A monster born to kill, and she got her ass handed to her by training dummies. Unsheathing her claws, she sank both pairs into the nearest tree and ripped them out through the sides, tearing out large chunks of it. "Better this than someone" she thought savagely as she continued stabbing and slicing into the wood rapidly, snarling as she chopped into it. Eventually, the tree fell, the latest casualty to her rage, except without the... Her arms slackened, her rage replaced with hollowness as she remembered. Bodies everywhere. Alarms blaring. Herself drenched in blood. And lying dead, in the snow in front of her- "NO!" Laura shouted as she kicked the fallen stump, unconsciously extending her foot-claw. Pulling her leg free of it, she realised she was tearing up. "Pull yourself together." She thought as she tried to calm herself down. "Just call it a night." She said to herself, walking back towards the X-Mansion. "Just go to sleep, apologise to Logan tomorrow, just don't think about-"  
"Hello there!" Claws already out in both hands, Laura spun around quickly, teeth bared as she growled softly, and almost laughed at who she realised she could smell while murdering the tree. A man clad in red and black spandex, a sword in each hand, a pistol strapped to each thigh, and a scent of what she could swear is some kind of Mexican food. "No hard feelings kid, but I might kill you. Might." Before Laura could see it coming, Deadpool lunged forwards, swinging both swords in a pincer-like motion.


	3. The Merc With the Mouth

Deadpool expected her to defend against this attack somehow. Duck under it, grab his arms, anything but block his swords with a pair of adamantium claws sprouting from her knuckles. "Uh...what?" he stared at his blades, locked in-between hers. Shouting with the effort, Laura threw both swords to one side before lunging at the mercenary. He was almost too surprised to move, let alone dodge the claws, but he fell backwards, pressing his foot against her stomach and flipping her over him. Scrambling to the floor, Laura growled at him, waiting for his next move. "Okay, this seems strangely familiar." Deadpool commented. Deciding she was waiting for him to make the first move, he pulled out a pair of pistols and fired as she charged. Laura cried out as two bullets passed through her legs, shattering the bones. Taking advantage, Deadpool swung his leg into the back of her head, and she fell face-first to the ground, unmoving. Deadpool stared in curiosity. "Looks to me like a certain sciency douchenozzle was hiding something." He said to himself.  
"Is she dead?" he heard the voice in his head ask.  
"Ooh! Poke it with something!" Another voice spoke to him.  
"What like road-kill?" He answered.  
"That's messed up."  
"You're messed up!"  
"Guys!" Deadpool shouted. "I'm messed up, you're just my insanity talking. Can we move one!  
"Alright, fine."  
"Who you calling 'insanity'?"  
Ignoring them, Deadpool cautiously knelt down to Laura's body. His pistol hovered over her head. He pressed the barrel against it gently. Before he could even consider stepping back, Laura grabbed his wrist. "Oh shi-!" He fired.

Dr. Stockton retrieved his ID card from the slot in the grey wall, the green light in it confirming he has authorisation to enter through the black steel door. Entering, his eyes were immediately drawn to the glass cylinder in the centre of the room. Filled with a solution of classified chemicals, the cylinder contained a man. One who has yet to take his first breaths. Wearing only a pair of black shorts, the man's body was heavily scarred and pale, as though he had died an extremely violent death. His eyes stared wide open, his eyelids long-since removed to prevent even the slightest risk of losing track of his target to blinking, his nose was missing and his mouth looked, in Stockton's opinion, as though it had been sewn shut. A long black cable descended from the top of the cylinder into an access point installed into the back of his skull, where it met the spine.  
"Is it ready?" Stockton asked one of his colleagues, a nervous little man who jumped as he spoke as if he had no idea he was there.  
"Yes sir." He answered. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days. Stockton wondered how long he had been working on this subject. "As you can see, adamantium coating is complete."  
Stockton looked back at the containment tank and noticed the man's weapons for the first time. Protruding from each arm, beginning from just above the wrist, was a 3-feet-long adamantium blade, as though he was sprouting swords from his arms.  
"I assume the suit is ready as well?" Stockton asked, keeping his gaze fixed on this creature.  
"Yes doctor." Another researcher responded. Stockton never turned to see him properly. "The clone is ready for deployment at any time."  
Stockton couldn't help but smile, and wondered if he, no it, was looking back at him. They had successfully combined the cloning techniques of the late Dr. Rice with the research taken by Dr. Killebrew and Ajax, and with some modifications of his own, particularly the accelerated ageing and indoctrination, they had finally achieved the very purpose Weapon X was founded for. The creation of the ultimate weapon. The perfect soldier.  
"Wake it up and suit it up." Stockton ordered. Everyone in the room stopped and stared at him, unsure of whether or not he is serious. "If that mercenary fails to eliminate X-23, I want this one ready for deployment to finish the job."  
"Umm." the sleep-deprived assistant looked at the cylinder, tugging his collar as he gulped, then sighed before turning to his console in resignation. " Everyone please vacate this room and prepare the strike team. I want a security team on standby before activation of specimen X-50.

Laura screamed as she clutched her bleeding eye socket. She felt the bullet lodged in her skull with the ruined remains of her eye, blood and jelly seeping between her fingers. All she could hear was her own cries of agony and Deadpool's panic.  
"Oh shit!" He exclaimed. "I didn't mean...you grabbed...We both saw that!" He suppressed an involuntary laugh at this accidental pun.  
"So much for the plan." The voice in his head scolded him.  
"Shut up, me!" He snapped at himself. Knowing what she had to do to recover, Laura slowly removed her hands and dug her finger into the hole where her eye used to be, screaming again as she searched for the bullet. Finding it, she ripped it out, the pain becoming so intense she collapsed, still clutching the socket. Just as she expected, she felt the eye slowly regrowing, the socket repairing itself.  
"Yeah, this is just gore-porn at this point." Deadpool said, forcing himself not to watch this. "What the hell is wrong with me?" The words had barely left his mouth just as he felt four sharp blades enter his back, driving him to the ground. Her face soaked in her own blood, Laura snarled as she pulled back one clawed hand and punched the mercenary in the back of the head, the claws stabbing into his brain. He went limp. Standing up, Laura wiped the blood from under her new eye, still shuddering at the thought of what had happened, and walked away from the corpse.  
"Okay, I deserved that one." Laura turned, staring as Deadpool stood up. the holes in his head were gone. "So we gonna get back to trying to kill each other, or-" Before he could finish his sentence, Laura dived on him, shrieking. He raised his arms in defence, but she drove her claws into them and pinned them to the ground.  
"So what's the safe-word?" Deadpool asked. "Age-difference?"  
"WHY"  
Laura withdrew one hand and slashed Deadpool's throat.  
"WON'T"  
Her other fist connected with his jaw, sending the claws through his head once more.  
"YOU"  
She ripped both pairs of claws out of him.  
"DIE?!" She screamed as she drove her claws into his chest, piercing his lungs. Breathing heavily, she tilted her head upwards slightly and saw, through the blood, his throat and head had already healed. She grabbed him by the neck and reared back her arm, ready to cut off his face.  
"ANSWER ME!" She bellowed.  
"Alright, enough with the shanking." Deadpool said, more annoyed than anything. "Thing is, I've got this awesome healing factor, so..."  
Laura stabbed him in the chest again and dragged him to his feet.  
"Okay, now you're just being rude." He stated as though he did not have four knife-like blades piercing his midsection.  
"Who are you?" Laura snarled. "What do you want from me?"  
In response, Deadpool reached back and, before she could react, retrieved a pair of sai which he drove into her arms. Laura gritted her teeth in pain, feeling the tips of the blades poking at her bones, but kept her grip.  
"Now I get it." Deadpool said, sounding angry for the first time in this fight. "Metal claws. Heals fast. Anger issues." he sniffed her, causing her to cringe. "Smells like wet dog."  
"Wait, what?"  
"Only one mutant alive has these." Deadpool told her, trying to sound as dramatic as possible. "You must be Wolverine's..."  
She braced herself for some reason. She had been meaning to ask about this for some-  
"Clone!" Deadpool shouted, sounding triumphant. Laura's eyes widened in surprise.  
"How did you-"  
"I read your shockingly depressing origin story!" he answered. Visibly unimpressed, she twisted one hand, tearing his flesh. He moaned weakly.  
"Okay, I'm just guessing." He corrected himself. "It just sounds better than my other theory. For a minute, I thought maybe you're his..."  
She didn't know why, but she didn't want him to say it. While she often thought of such a possibility, she felt it belonged only in her mind. Not to be spoken aloud until she was ready to know, or figure out how she would feel about either possibility  
Laura extended the claw in her right foot and swung it upwards, in-between Deadpool's legs.


	4. Weapon X

"The fuck?" Logan exclaimed when he heard it. He was taking his smoke-break outside, mostly to avoid pissing off Scott, when he heard gunfire from somewhere in the woods around the X-Mansion. Remembering Laura was out there, he ran towards the general direction of the shots, and eventually, he heard something which startled nearby birds in every direction. It had to be the loudest and highest pitched scream he ever heard. And he heard plenty of high-pitched screams. He knew it wasn't her. Most likely whoever the attacker is. Or was, judging by that scream. As he ran, he knew he was getting close by the smell of blood and...something else. Something too familiar.  
"Oh hell." Logan thought to himself. "Not this guy. Anyone but this guy."

"OH GEEZUZ!" Deadpool screamed as he clutched his already-regenerating-  
"Don't write it! They might read this out loud!" Deadpool groaned. Still moaning in agony, he rolled over to his side while Laura cleaned the blood from her foot in a bush, hoping there was nothing else on it.  
"Why did you do this?!" Deadpool asked, his voice muffled in the grass. "Why would you ever do that to someone?!"  
"You tried to kill me!" Laura snapped. Deadpool straightened up and looked at her.  
"I try to kill plenty of people, and manage it most of the time!" Deadpool told her. "Why you mad? It's not personal!"  
"But why?" Laura asked, extending her claws again. "What are you, some sort of-  
"You've never heard of me?" Deadpool asked, sounding genuinely offended. He stood up and stared at the girl. "Deadpool? The merc with the mouth? The regenerating degenerate? Ninja Spider-Man?" Neither moved or made a sound. "Not ringing any bells?" Laura shook her head after a pause. "Okay." The mercenary said quietly. "Okay. Nah, it's fine. Its not like I'm a big deal or anything." He forced himself to chuckle before taking a deep breath. Within the blink of an eye, he drew his guns again and fired.  
"I wasn't gonna kill you before!" He shouted. Laura dodged the bullets as he spoke, bracing herself for his next attack. "I was gonna rough you up a little, put you in a hospital for a couple weeks and snatch some cash from those Weapon X douchenozzles while screwing them over, but now..."  
Laura froze, slowly lowering her arms. "Weapon X?" She turned pale.  
"Now I'm gonna kill ya, bee-otch! I shall avenge my-"  
Three blades burst through the mercenary's chest. He gasped and looked down. He was then hoisted upwards, his flesh tearing against the claws.  
"What the Hell are you doing here!" Logan snarled. Deadpool looked back at the mutant.  
"Oh hi Wolvie." He said, as though this happened to him many times. "Long time."  
"Not long enough." Logan growled before throwing Deadpool at a tree, his bones shattering on impact.

"We are approaching the AO." the pilot announced . "ETA: 10 minutes." The strike team of 6 shifted in their seats in collective discomfort. Every inch of their bodies were covered in black kevlar armour, their faces hidden behind skull-like breathing masks. None of them liked the idea of who they were going after, but what greatly fed their unease was the asset standing at the back of the helicopter.  
"So what good are these gonna be?" One of the soldiers asked, retrieving his rifle. "I mean, sure, we aren't going after the Wolverine, but the target is a clone of the freak!"  
"We're just the support." another responded from the opposite side. "We'll just keep the little bastard busy while he-" he paused, risking a glance at the mutant, who still hadn't moved. "It takes it down."  
" I dunno." a third soldier commented. "Shouldn't we have waited for the merc to do it?"  
"Wade Wilson cannot be trusted." a voice growled, echoing through the helicopter. The soldiers quickly turned towards the asset, surprised by his first words onboard the chopper. He was now facing them. "The mercenary is insane, but not stupid. He will likely have figured out who hired him, and after the processes involved in his mutation, he is unlikely to willingly cooperate."  
"So he's screwing with us?" Another soldier asked. "If they're paying him to kill X-23, and he knows who he's working for-"  
"He's probably just gonna fake her death and take the cash." the last trooper interjected. Silence filled the helicopter on this. X-50 turned to face the door once more.

"Ow." Deadpool groaned as he sat up, his entire skeleton having already regenerated. As his blurred vision cleared, he noticed two figures in front of him. He soon recognised them as Logan, crossing his arms and glaring at him as he usually does, and Laura, kneeling towards him with her claws inches from his face. Without thinking, he tapped the end of one, murmuring "boop" before recieving a slap to the face.  
"Well." he said. "I see someone's well trained in the art of the bitch-slap." He recieved a fist that time. "You insisting on a-"  
"Shut up." Logan interrupted. "You mind telling me what you're doing here?"  
"But you told me to-" Logan nodded at Laura, prompting her to punch him again. She failed to supress a smirk. She enjoyed this.  
"Alright, I'll talk." Deadpool responded. "But can I make a quick phone call? I wanna talk to my lawyer." Laura raised her fist again, forcing herself not to smile. The mercenary noticed this.  
"Ah, the good cop/bad cop routine." he observed. "Okay, I'm on a job. Here." As he spoke, he withdrew the document given to him by Stockton. Logan snatched it before he could loosen his grip. As he read it, Logan's anger became increasingly visible.  
"Killing kids now, huh?" He asked, his voice rising close to a shout. "Even I thought you were better than this Wade." Laura turned to him in confusion.  
"You know him?" She asked, almost accusingly.  
"Unfortunately." Deadpool gave a quick gasp as if in shock.  
"Is that any way to speak to me?" he asked, producing fake sobs. "Your brother from another mother?" Laura kept her gaze fixated on Logan, silently demanding an explanation.  
"Laura, Wade Wilson. Wade, Laura Kinney." Logan said after sighing in annoyance, gesturing to the two of them accordingly. "He's another one of Weapon X's lab rats." Laura's questioning expression quickly changed to one of surprise and alarm. "Like us?" She asked, not noticing Deadpool dragging himself to his feet.  
"Allow me to clear up some plot here." He suggested. He straightened his posture, placing both arms behind his back and raising his chin, an attempt to mimic some sort of dramatic story-teller. He raised his hand to the air as he began speaking. "Once, there was a mercenary named Wade Wilson. A professional contract killer and raging sex machine."  
"Ah geez." Logan pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked down, shaking his head.  
"One fateful day, this marvelous exemplar of a man, master of the battlefield and bedroom, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. All hope was lost, until...they came!" Deadpool continued, using the most melodramatic tone of voice he could manage.  
"The Weapon X programme." Laura guessed, already suspecting where this was going.  
"The Weapon X programme, indeed." Deadpool confirmed. "They promised to cure his illness, and they did, but at a price." His voice lowered to a whisper. He paused before continuing, raising his arm to hide his face in mock despair. "They mutated him with a serum created from the DNA of their prized hairy midget pig-"  
"Say that to my face, bub!" Logan growled, his claws extending instinctively.  
"But the healing powers bestowed upon our tragic hero proved to be his curse." Deadpool continued. "Horrible tortures and experiments did they inflict on their prisoner, knowing that he can never die. By the time he escaped, he was no longer the murderous ladies-man he was." Deadpool remained silent.  
"Well?" Laura asked after a moment. Deadpool raised his hand, gesturing for her to be silent.  
"Pausing for effect." he explained. "Okay. Once his ordeal had ended, he was now the hideously disfigured immortal killing machine you see before you! Deadpool!" He raised his voice as he finished. He then tore off his mask. Logan gave no reaction towards his face. He was already used to seeing it. Laura placed both hands over her mouth automatically, eyes widened in horror. She now understood why he wore the mask. Who wouldn't if their face, and possibly their whole body, looked like mutilated cancerous meat. "Like what you see? This little side effect of being me?" Deadpool asked, his mouth opening into a toothy grin. Laura forced herself to lower her hands, her mouth still slightly agape.  
"Come on, bub." Logan said. "Since when did you care about looks?" Deadpool stuffed his head back into his mask.  
"Excuse me?" he replied. "That's rich, coming from the guy who looks like a flea-bitten version of Hugh Jackman!"  
"Like who?"  
"Exactly!" Deadpool yelled pointing at him.  
"And you're still working for them, despite what they did to us?" Laura asked him as her anger started to resurface.  
"Nope." Deadpool stated. "They hired me to kill ya, and I get a mouthwatering pile of cash. But even I've got standards!"  
Laura folder her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. "So you weren't trying to kill me?" She asked skeptically.  
"I don't kill kids, but they thought I'd make an exception, especially if I didn't know it was them. My plan was brilliant!" he boasted. "Step 1: Take the job without them guessing I was onto them. Step 2: kick your ass without kiling you, which felt weird to do if I'm honest. Step 3: kill their asses after taking their cash!"  
"That was your plan?!" Logan asked. "Even for you, that's-"  
"Awesome?"  
"A huge pile of bull!" Logan finished. "Sounds like something from a comic book or some shit!"  
"Nice work, dumbass!" Deadpool scolded him. "Now there's fourth wall pieces all over the floor!"  
"What?"  
"The point is" Deadpool continued. "I'm honestly offended you thought I would actually work for the same turd-buckets who ripped my whole life a new one!"  
"What did they do to you?" Laura asked, breaking her silence. "How did you end up like...that." Logan snapped his gaze towards her, surprised that anyone could be sympathetic to the mercenary. He scoffed as he answered.  
"Worse than whatever you got." He responded before realising he made a mistake. She now appeared as angry as when they fought.  
"You have no idea what I've been through." She growled.  
"Oh really?" Deadpool asked. He leaned forward torwards her. "I was stuck in that dump of a facility for so long, I can't even remember how long it was!"  
"I was born and raised there." Laura responded. "My whole life was 14 years of Hell before I got out."  
"Ooooooooooooh." Deadpool exclaimed. "I was dissected while concious!"  
"when I was seven, I was locked in a radiation chamber and cooked alive!" Laura told him, glaring.  
"I was locked in a box of ice water for longer than enough for someone to get frostbite!" Deadpool stated.  
"They ripped my claws out, coated them in adamantium and shoved them back in!" Laura replied. "I wasn't sedated or anything. The scumbag in charge said he wanted to hear me scream." Even Logan looked uncomfortable at this.  
"Who was it?" Deadpool asked. "Ajax? Francis?"  
"Rice."  
"Stupid name. Anyways-" Deadpool continued. "I was sealed in a glass pod and suffocated, mostly because my 'guy in charge' was a sadistic bag of assholes."  
"I was forced to go out and kill people and they got paid for it!" Laura growled at him.  
"Alright, that's enough." Logan interrupted. While Deadpool was clearly comfortable talking about the horrors he had endured, Laura looked angry enough to go on a mass murder spree just to vent her rage. And it only grew by the second.  
"Need I mention my face again?" Deadpool asked. "I saw that 'OMG that's so horrible' look on you. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to judge people by-"  
That was it. Before he could finish his sentence, she lunged forward, driving both pairs of claws into his chest again, and hoisted him upwards.  
"THEY MADE ME KILL HER!" She screamed in his face.  
"What?" Logan blurted out at this. He and Deadpool both stared in silence. Gritting her teeth, Laura glared intently into the eyeholes of Deadpool's mask. She turned her head towards Logan and her face fell. She's used to him being calm and straight-faced about most things, or so angry he loses all rational thought besides ripping apart whatever's causing him grief. But now, for the first time since she's known him, Logan looked genuinely shocked, at a total loss for words.  
"Well." Deadpool started. "That escalated quickly." Laura dropped him, turning her back on both of them. "Okay, you win. You got screwed over more than-" The mercenary's words were cut short as she slammed her fist into the side of his head. Then she ran into the woods.  
"Hey!" Logan called. "Wait a sec!" Nothing. She was gone. He grabbed Deadpool by the back of the neck and hoisted him upwards. "Dammit, Wade!" He growled.  
"I know, I know." Deadpool sighed as he pulled out his pistol. He then fired a single bullet through his head as he announced. "Bad Deadpool." Logan dropped his limp body and ran after his clone, frustrated that following her scent was made more difficult by its similarity to his own.

"Strike team in position." One of the soldiers spoke into his helmet's microphone, transmitting it back to their superiors.  
"Affirmative." The whole squad heard in response. "Proceed with caution. Target is extremely dangerous and hostile. Use of lethal force is authorised."  
"Like that'll mean shit." One of them thought in despair. What good would 6 humans with rifles do against a mutant freak whose entire upbringing revolved around killing people? The squad collectively froze at the sound of metallic footprints coming from the helicopter. Looking back, they watched as X-50 exited the aircraft, and at last they could make out his appearance properly. He was adorned in similar black body armour to them, but visibly thinner and lighter. The armour around his arms was an exception, significantly thicker in contrast to contain his weapons of choice. A belt of grenades was wrapped around his waist and a revolver was holstered on his left thigh. His face was, mercifully, hidden by an airtight black helmet sporting a red X-shaped visor. On noticing this detail, one of the soldiers barely stopped himself from laughing, finding it too silly for such a dangerous creature. X-50 stopped and looked at him. The man stared back, daring not to move. After a moment, X-50 turned his head from him and kept walking towards the woods.  
"Uh." One of them started. The clone stopped again. "Shouldn't we stay in formation?" He asked. X-50 did not look back at him.  
"Negative." He answered, his low voice sounding more like a growl than speech. "I will retrieve the rogue specimen myself. You will secure it for transportation back to the Weapon X Programme. Understood?"  
"Sir, yes sir." The soldiers replied as one, saluting as they did so. X-50 surveyed the woodland around them. They were just outside the property of professor Charles Xavier. As long as this mission went according to plan, they should accomplish their objective with minimal hostile mutant interference. X-50 strode into the forest, eagerly anticipating his first battle.


	5. X-50

Judging by the scent, Logan knew he was getting close. He had followed it for so long he barely registered the branches snapping under his shoes. Eventually, he found a fallen tree, bought down by the girl sitting on it with her back to him.  
"You making a habit of this?" He asked, crossing his arms. "These don't grow back quickly, you know." She didn't respond. Cautiously, he stepped forward and peered around her. From the brief glimpse he caught of her face before she quickly turned from him, he could tell she had been crying recently.  
"You okay kid?" He asked.  
"No."  
"You wanna talk about it?"  
"No."  
"Look, about what that son of a-"  
"It's not that." Laura snapped, barely turning her head towards him for a moment.  
"Well, what is it?" Logan asked, his concern turning to frustration.  
Laura shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to-"  
"That's the problem." Logan told her. "You just don't talk about it and it gets in the way. If anyone gets what you went through-"  
"But you don't!" Laura interrupted, finally turning to him. "They took your memory, so you can't remember what they did to you!"  
"Yeah, they did!" Logan answered, his voice betraying his anger. "You think that'd be easy? Having no idea where you came from or who you were before the whole thing?"  
"I wish they took mine." Laura stated as she turned from him again. Logan grabbed her shoulder and rotated her back to face him.  
"Don't turn your back on me!" He growled. "I said I'd help you put this shit behind you-"  
"But you can't!" Laura shouted back. "Nobody can!"  
"Not if you don't tell me what's getting to you about it!" Logan finished. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Without another word, Laura turned around and started walking deeper into the forest. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Logan shouted.  
"Oh my god!" Laura exclaimed, stopping to face him again. "Will you just leave me alone? You're not my father!"  
"I never said I was!" Logan responded loudly.  
"THEN STOP ACTING LIKE IT!" Laura screamed at him. Logan stared in surprise. He was not expecting that, nor did he notice if this was what he was doing.  
"Sure thing kid." he said quietly, but with no less intensity. "You deal with these issues your way." He turned around and began to make his way back to the X-Mansion. "That's what I get for trying, I guess." He murmured loud enough for her to hear.  
Once he was gone, Laura's fury began to change into regret. The only person who was willing to help her face her demons, who's life wasn't threatened by her very presence and the closest thing she had to family these days and she's gone and dismissed him like some unwanted mongrel. She began to walk in the direction Logan left her before breaking into a run.  
"Logan?" she called as she ran. "Wait! Logan! I'm sorry!" She continued to shout as she ran. "LOGAN!" Nothing. Eventually, she gave up and decided to simply return to the X-Mansion. She walked slowly, dreading when she would have to face his anger again, and without her own to back up her nerve.  
"Target sighted." She heard a deep voice whisper from nearby. Extending her claws, Laura quickly turned around and surveyed the forest around her. She was not alone. Someone was watching her. Someone with no scent to track, she quickly realised.  
She barely had time to dodge as X-50 lunged from the foliage, his adamantium blade swinging downwards.

"Where'd that come from?" was all Laura could think as she watched her own blood pooling beneath her from the opening made in her torso by whatever she saw leap at her from the bushes. Slowly rising from all fours, she was relieved to feel the wound closing itself, and to know there was enough of her blood spilt to stick her clothes together. She almost laughed at her own concern over this. Turning around, she saw the black-armoured figure watching her, an adamantium blade sprouting from both arms. Just as quickly as the first strike, he lunged again. She was ready that time. Laura swung her claws parallel to his blades, sparks flying as they parried. This did nothing to deter X-50, as he sliced from the other side within a second, using the momentum of her deflection to his advantage. Laura leaned back to avoid the blade, the tip barely scratching her neck, and she drove both fists down in a stab. Unprepared for this, X-50 froze as both pairs of claws entered him. And he laughed.  
"What?" Laura asked in surprise. Couldn't he feel that? In response, he grabbed her wrists and tightened his grip. Grimacing, she vainly tried to pull her claws back and, accompanied by the crunching sound, screamed as her wrists were crushed. Exploiting this, X-50, threw both arms out and slammed his head into her face, his thick helmet cracking her skull.  
"Who-" Laura started weakly, lying on the ground as her bones rapidly regenerated. "What are you?" Walking over, X-50 knelt down and lifted her up by the throat.  
"I'm what you should have been." He growled as she struggled for air denied to her. He drew the blade in his free arm and drove it through her stomach. She gasped loudly, his grip on her throat preventing her from screaming. "What we were born to be!" He said as he bought her face inches from his visor. Despite its red tint, she could swear she could make out his eyes, glaring in unrestrained malice. Was this personal? He threw her into the tree, breaking her through several branches before returning to the ground.  
"You are nothing but a rough draft, 23!" the clone called as he strode towards her. "I, on the other hand, am the finished model." She stood up and glared defiantly, her claws extending from her knuckles once again.  
"So you're from Weapon X too then." This was a statement, not a question. He shook his head as he stopped.  
"I am specimen X-50." He announced proudly, spreading his arms out. "I AM the Weapon X programme!"  
More out of disgust than anything, Laura ran forward with a shout, swinging both claws at him wildly. He blocked these almost effortlessly, shoved her back and then impaled her on both blades, lifting her into the air. Her whole body flooded with agony, Laura vainly attempted to lift herself from the blades, looking directly at her enemy almost pleadingly. Sighing in disappointment, X-50 removed one of the blades, retracted it into his arm and launched his fist into her face, firing her from his remaining blade into a tree, the force of the impact denting the bark.  
"Pathetic." X-50 commented. He walked to her and, the moment Laura slowly lifted her head upwards, he extended his blade again, entering her throat and exiting throught the back of her neck. He retracted it and watched as she once again suffocated, choking on her own blood this time.  
"Hey!" Hearing this shout, X-50 turned around and spotted Logan, his claws extended, his posture giving away a potential pounce, and every inch of his face showing absolute rage, like a predator finding a rival in its territory. "Back off, or I'll rip those off!"  
"The first specimen." X-50 stated, a smile in his voice. "They say nothing beats the original, you know." He raised his fist and extended the blade within the arm. "Care to prove it? I've actually been looking forward to this."  
"Sounds like you got a death wish, bub." Logan growled. "Gotta be, or you wouldn't have touched her." X-50 glanced back.  
"She was a disappointment." He calmly stated. "You on the other hand..."  
As though they shared the same idea, both mutants launched themselves at each other, adamantium claws and blades clashing.

"What are we doing here anyway?" One of the soldiers asked his squadmates. So much time had passed and they had all begun to lounge about the woodland clearing surrounding the helicopter. One of them, lying on his back, glanced over to him.  
"We're fire support for that...thing." He pointed in the direction X-50 left them. "We'll move in when we're needed."  
"Hold up." Another soldier started, interrupting his push ups. "Didn't he tell us to secure the little bitch once he was done?"  
"Good point." The first one answered. "I thought the objective was to kill it, not bring it back alive." The whole squad began to look amongst eachother uneasily.  
"What the Hell is going on?" A fourth asked quietly. No answer was given beyond the leaves rustling in the wind.  
"Movement!" Another soldier shouted. "I've got movement here!" The squad abandoned their activities, readying their weapons and targeting the source of their comrade's alarm. Their target emerged from the trees, exaggerating the swing in his arms as he walked.  
"'Sup, bitches!" Deadpool called to them. As the air became filled with the sounds of guns clicking, their safeties being removed, he reached back and drew his swords. "Never bring a gun to a swordfight!" He warned them in obvious excitement. He leapt towards them as they fired, the muzzle-flashes of their rifles glinting in his blades.

He was actually getting tired. Logan could not for the life of him recall a fight which left him so drained. Growling through the familiar pain, Logan grabbed the blade driven through his side and forced it out, throwing X-50 off balance. Seeing his chance, he launched his claws into his back, the three ends portruding through his chest. Without a sound, or even a look at them as Logan expected, he threw himself forward, freeing himself from the claws and spun back, both of his blades cutting through the air. Logan had no time to dodge as they struck his face, bringing him down. As the pair of gashes across his features healed, Logan roared in animal-like fury and erupted in a frenzy of swipes at X-50, forcing him back as he frantically positioned his blades to block each strike. Having put him on the defensive, Logan reared back and launched his fist into his enemy's throat, his claws tearing through it. Denied his breath, X-50 grabbed Logan's arm and weakly pushed it back, dropping to his knees. Once he stopped struggling, Logan pulled his hand from his neck, watching him twitch with grim satisfaction.  
"This what you wanted?" He asked quietly, catching his breath. Looking around, he could see that Laura had recovered and was now staring at him, eyes widened in awe and gratitude.  
"Thanks." She started, massaging her throat, before he waved her off.  
"That right there." He gestured towards his fallen opponent. "That's what I call letting off-" He gasped as the adamantium blade entered his back and exited through his heart, passing between his ribs. Laura stared numbly at the sight. X-50 had gotten up and struck so quickly she had no time to even process the thought of warning Logan.  
"Don't take your eye off the ball." The clone growled as he grabbed Logan's head with his free arm and, with no apparent effort, broke his neck. "I expected better."  
Enraged, Laura lunged at him, screaming as she directed her claws at him. Unimpressed, X-50 reached out with one arm and, almost casually, caught her by the neck. After allowing her to struggle for a moment, barely noticing as she stabbed into his arm repeatedly, he grabbed her waist with his other hand, lifted her into the air and slammed her down onto his knee, shattering her spine. With barely a whimper, Laura collapsed, seemingly dead. He knew better. X-50 grabbed the teenager by the ankle and began dragging her back in the direction he first emerged.  
"Target secured." He growled into his helmet's radio. "Prepare containment measures. Repeat: primary target secured." No response. He stopped in his tracks and checked again. "Report. Specimen X-23 secured. Squad, come in." Something was wrong. X-50 cursed himself for his stupidity. Of course those incompetent grunts couldn't have possibly survived with him. Especially since their previous, unreliable asset was unaccounted for. He drew his blades once more, anticipating his third opponent.

"I expected to find you here." X-50 growled without turning towards his challenger. Deadpool stepped forward from the foliage, his swords soaked as red as his suit.  
"What gave it away?" He asked, inspecting his blood-drenched weaponry. "You read up to this point after wasting your life draining your eyeballs over these atrocious canon-breaking walls of te-"  
"They warned me you'd make little sense." X-50 interrupted, turning to face him. "Never mind. Whatever gibberish you plan to send my way, it won't matter."  
Deapool sheathed his swords and unholstered a pair of submachine guns, twirling them in his hands. "Did those Weapon-Xholes mention I can't die?" He asked casually.  
"I'll put that to the test." With that, the clone dashed towards the mercenary, ignoring the streams of bullets slamming into him. Some bounced off his armour, others pierced his flesh, none of it mattered. He could barely feel it anyway. With one stroke, Deadpool's right leg was severed, bringing him crashing to the ground with a shout.  
"You heal fast too?" He asked in surprise, reaching for his limb. "What's the point of having a healing factor if everyone's gonna have it?"  
"Enough!" X-50 drove both blades through Deadpool's chest and lifted him into the air. "Any last words?"  
"I regret that anyone who would read this garbage would be deprived an epic scene in which I slaughtered every douchebag who came here with you." On that, X-50 began to pull his blades in opposite directions, slowly tearing the mercenary in half. "See if I-care!" Deadpool grunted through his agonising pain. "I've walked off-worse than-this!"  
Before X-50 could respond to this two pairs of claws pierced through his chest. His predecessor had recovered. "Clever girl." He stated before throwing Deadpool behind him. Unable to remove her claws quick enough, Laura was slammed into the dirt by the weight of the immortal madman thrown into her face. Without taking a second to regenerate the tearing across his midsection, Deadpool began crawling towards his leg.  
"What did you think would happen?" X-50 asked as he grabbed Laura yet again. Determined not to be brutalised again so easily, she grabbed his arm and swung her body around his, throwing her foot-claw into the back of his neck. As X-50 struggled to remove her, Laura manouvered herself onto his back stabbing wildly into him, snarling with each strike. Unable to remove the girl from his shoulders, X-50 simply raised his fists towards her and extended his blades. In surprise, Laura shoved herself off him, narrowly avoiding them. Seeing the opportunity, X-50 quickly turned and began slashing towards her wildly, driving her back as she crawled backwards from him, landing on her back. Lunging forward, he slammed his foot onto her stomach, deflating her of her oxygen. He stomped on her neck next, pinning her to the ground. Laura struggled to push him back before stopping as he slowly positioned his blade toward her face, the tip barely scraping her forehead. She stared at him, paling in fear. She was going to die. Somehow, he was going to kill her, succeed where so many others had failed. But how? Would he take her head off? Gut her? Bleed her dry?And where was Logan? Why wasn't he here to stop this? Laura felt as though her heart and stomach were in vices, her vision distorted by her eyes welling up. She never got to see him one last time. Not even to apologise for her harsh treatment of him that day or to tell him exactly how much he has meant to her, even if he never noticed.

"Come on, come on, where is it?" Deadpool murmured to himself, searching frantically through his conveniently hidden weapons case. "Aha! There you are!" He reached in and retrieved what he was after. a heavy, two-handed sword twice as long as either of his katanas. "I haven't taken you out since we killed every character we knew and loved, not that it actually happened." He said to the sword. He turned quickly and ran toward X-50, too busy savouring his imminent kill to notice him before he saw the blade portruding through his torso. Deadpool withdrew it as X-50 turned and looked at him, unimpressed. Then he coughed and staggered, placing his hand over the hole going through him. He watched as blood seeped between his fingers, gushing from both openings.  
"What is this?" He gasped. Laura sat up, watching him in confusion. "What the Hell have you done?" Deadpool swung the sword up, balancing it on his shoulder.  
"Carbonadium, bitch!" he answered. "Not as tough as adamantium, but it has a special kind of radiation which switches off healing factors. No immortals here with this beauty!"  
Enraged, X-50 ran at Deadpool, who simply swung the sword into him again, swatting him to the ground. Both Deadpool and Laura watched as he crawled away from them, leaving behind a trail of blood. Laura could not help but pity him, despite everything. Just another victim of a cruel science she and Deadpool knew too well.  
"Okay, this is just sad." Deadpool said as he moved to intercept the wounded creature. "What do you say I put you out of your-" He was interrupted by a single click-like noise, followed by X-50 chuckling. "Oh shit!" The mercenary ran back, tackling Laura to the ground as the space between them and X-50 exploded, the force blowing them back while the trees caught fire.

"What happened?" Laura groaned as she sat up, her ears still ringing from the explosion. She could see Deadpool was already up, apparently searching for something around where they last saw X-50, who, Laura quickly realised, was no longer there.  
"Nope. It's gone." Deadpool announced as he returned, shrugging. "He took my carbonadium sword and ran for the hills." He put his hand out, offering Laura help in getting up. She accepted it and he pulled her to her feet.  
"What kind of sword was that?" She asked. "Nothing we did could hurt him, except-"  
"Oh that sword was made of carbonadium." He stated matter-of-factly. "Some kind of weird metal that nullifies healing factors. I had him on the ropes with that." He shook his head in disappointment.  
"Wait, and he took it?" Laura asked, panic in her voice, to which Deadpool nodded. "And now he can kill us anytime."  
"Yeah, pretty much." He answered. "You, me, Wolvie, anyone who heals fast."  
"Logan!" Laura blurted out automatically. She hadn't seen him since X-50 broke his... "Where is he?"  
"Over there." Deadpool pointed a short distance from them. "How quickly time and distance passes by with a good ol' fight to the death." Laura ran towards the direction he pointed, ignoring the rest of his sentence.  
"Hey, we should do this again sometime!" he called after her. "Maybe something canon someday? Maybe"? She didn't listen. She simply stared at Logan's unmoving body, his head twisted where it was never meant to go. Uncertain of what else to do, she knelt down beside him, lifted his head carefully, then quickly twisted it forward, pushing against his neck to keep the dislodged segments of his spine in place. After a moment, he jolted upwards, gasping.  
"The Hell happened?" He asked. Looking back he noticed Laura staring at him, smiling in relief, then he saw the tearing in her clothes and the dried blood splattered on her. "You okay kid?" he asked, standing up.  
"I'm fine." She told him. "I just-"  
"Just what?" She bit her lip and looked down.  
"I'm sorry." She told him. "I didn't mean any of what I said earlier. I just-"  
"Come on kid." Logan interrupted, patting her shoulder. "I get it. You were just pissed off."  
"Got that from you, did I?" She asked him, grinning.  
"I guess." He answered, not returning the smile. "So what happened with that...whatever he was."  
Laura almost missed his questioning. She was almost distracted by her own relief over the abandonment of their argument. "He said he was from Weapon-X." She told him. "I think he would have killed me, except-"  
"Except I helped!" Deadpool called over. "He was all 'stabby-slicey', and she was all 'kersnikkity!' Then I was all-"  
"That so?" Logan cut him off. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but...Thanks Wade. I appreciate it."  
"Really?" Deadpool asked, his voice rising comically high as he clasped his hands together. "You mean it?"  
"So do I." Laura told him "Thank you." She immediately regretted her expression of gratitude as he shrieked in excessive excitement.  
"Anyway." Logan started, determined to avoid any further aggravation from the mercenary. "So what kicked our asses? Another clone or something?"  
"I hope so." Deadpool told him. "Otherwise, it might be the shitty version of me from your terrible origins movie. I mean, seriously! What were they-"  
"How'd you take him down?" Logan asked, his patience completely absent. "Seems like he could heal like we could."  
"Deadpool had some kind of sword." Laura told him. "Apparently, it could stop healing factors, something about radiation from what it was made of?"  
"Carbonadium." Logan concluded. "Hate that stuff. So he's dead?"  
"Uhh, yep. Got him." Deadpool answered as he looked at Laura pleadingly. "Right kid? Right?!"  
"No." Laura began incredulously. "He got away and took that sword." On hearing this, Logan's face contorted with familiar rage as he turned towards Deadpool.  
"Hey, hold up!" he stated nervously. "I was robbed! You think maybe-eep!" he shrunk back as Logan quickly raised his claws towards him, only to freeze as Laura grabbed his arm.  
"Can we go home now?" She asked. "Please?" He looked at her and his face fell. She wasn't asking him. She was pleading with him.  
"Fair enough." He answered, withdrawing his claws. "You've had a long day."  
"Thank you." She smiled as they both began walking back to the X-mansion. Deadpool began to follow them, until-  
"Don't think I'm done with you!" Logan growled at him.  
"Yessir!" Deadpool nodded and turned around. Walking at first, then breaking into a sprint.  
"Are you always like that with him?" Laura asked, wondering whether or not to bring her arm around his. She chose not to.  
"Pretty much." Logan answered. "Trust me, he always deserves it."  
"I can tell." she responded with a laugh. Even he could not help but smile at this. They walked in silence until reaching the front door of Xavier's school.  
"We'll see him again, won't we?" Laura asked, hoping her concern wasn't obvious. Logan stopped as he turned to her, his hand on the door handle.  
"Probably." He answered. "We'll be ready next time." He opened the door and let her in first. "You call it a night. I need a drink."  
"I thought you can't get drunk?" she asked, already ascending the stairs.  
"Doesn't mean I can't try. Now shut up and get some shut-eye."


	6. Nightmare

"Would anyone care to explain exactly what happened!" Stockton bellowed as he and his two-man escort burst through the doors into the infirmary. The medics stepped back from their patient, startled by the sudden entrance. On the table they surrounded, the only one occupied in the room, sat X-50. His helmet and armour placed on another table beside him, his scar-riddled form was hunched with his back to Stockton, a red scar in his back marking where the carbonadium sword entered him, parallel to its twin in his chest. Stockton walked around the table to face X-50, his head lowered towards the ground and his face blank.  
"Report." Stockton ordered, his voice barely a whisper. X-50 slowly raised his head towards him.  
"Mission failed." He growled, obviously furious over the events of the previous day. "Target X-23 not retrieved. Engagement with multiple hostiles-"  
"Retrieved?" Stockton interrupted incredulously. "Your mission was to kill that...thing. Not bring it back alive!"  
"Healing factor negated by carbonadium weaponry." X-50 continued. "Hostile identified as Wade Wilso-" He stopped as Stockton slammed his fist against his face. The medical staff backed away cautiously, half expecting the creature under their charge to rip Stockton apart. He simply glared.  
"Who ordered you to return it alive?" Stockton shouted. The clone remained silent. Sighing in resignation, Stockton left his sight and approached the doors.  
"Request permission for redeployment." X-50 called across the room. Stockton froze and looked back, looking as though he wasn't sure about whether to be angry or surprised. He settled for both.  
"And what exactly puts you in a position to make demands of-"  
"With all due respect sir," X-50 cut him off. "I have acquired the means to ensure mission success this time." As he spoke, he reached under the table bearing his armour and retrieved the carbonadium sword.  
"I was succesful in retrieving this in the process of my self-evacuation. The radiation emitted-"  
"Carbonadium." Stockton concluded, a grin forming on his face. "Very well. I am approving your redeployment. You are to eliminate specimen X-23 and her template.  
"And the mercenary?" X-50 asked hopefully. Stockton nodded as he looked back. "With pleasure." a smile appeared on his own scarred lips.

The alarms blaring through the grey hallway hurt its ears. The clone looked down the hallway, noticing the sharp bend leading to the exit. Tearing its claws from the armoured corpse of its last victim, it sprinted down towards the door, tracking bloody footprints as it went. Forcing the door open, the clone barely noticed the pair of guards behind it until they started firing. It was already used to the feeling of bullets. Gritting its teeth, the clone lunged forward, driving both pairs of claws into one guard before throwing him at the other. Reeling, the second guard had no time to scream before his throat was skewered. Moving on, the clone eventually found itself outside and could plainly see, mere metres away, the woman in the lab coat. It smiled. They were finally leaving. They were free. It had already ripped apart Dr. Rice, the memories of everything he had done to it and what he made it do fuelled its hatred and rage once he was in its grasp.  
"There you are!" the woman called, her expression flooding with relief. "We're almost out! Come on!" As the clone neared her, it smelled something. As it did so, its anger quickly returned. Then the anger grew, the clone's every thought becoming replaced with a desire to kill something, anything.  
"Oh god no." The clone thought. Its claws drawn, teeth clenched and a snarl emerging from its thought. "Please no." It lunged at the woman, her confusion quickly changing to alarm.  
"NO!"

"NO!" Laura swung her claws forward as she sat up, whatever she just slashed shouting out in pain as it fell back. Regaining her bearings, Laura looked around as she remembered where she was. She was on her bed, in her room, in the X-mansion. Looking forward, panicking over who she might have injured.  
"What the Hell!" Logan growled as he stood up, the two gashes in his face already sealing. Flooding with shame, Laura found herself unable to look directly at him, instead looking down at the blood-stained covers. Noticing this, Logan forced himself to remain calm.  
"Don't sweat it, kid." He told her. "I had worse." Laura gave no response.  
"Gotta be honest with you" Logan continued. "I might of made that mistake before. Long story though." Still, he recieved no response.  
"You wanna talk about it?" Logan asked, already predicting what response he would be given, if any.  
"No."  
"Alright." He sighed in resignation. "You ever change your mind, you can tell anyone here. Me, Charles, hell, even Scott." As he opened the door to leave, deciding against checking the time,-  
"Tomorrow." Laura blurted out. Logan stopped and looked back. "I'll...I'll tell you everything tomorrow."  
"Right." He responded. "I'm ready when you are." He exited the room on that, reaching for a cigarette in his pocket as he strode down the hallway. Laura sat in the dark, thinking on her nightmare. Blood. Corpses. Screams. That scent. She covered her face with her hands, screwing her eyes shut. She could still see the bloodied corpse of Doctor Sarah Kinney.  
"I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I'm so sorry."

"Are you sufficiently prepared?" Stockton's voice blared over the speakers of the holding cell. X-50, the sole occupant, examined his reflection in his right blade, his face hidden behind the red visor.  
"Confirmed." He called out. A hatch in the door opened and deposited what he recognised as a .44 magnum and a kukri machete. As he retrieved it, Stockton's voice boomed into the room once more.  
"The knife is what remains of the Carbonadium weapon you retrieved from your previous deployment. The remainder of the blade was melted down and reforged into the revolver's ammunition. Additional rounds are available once you board the transport."  
X-50 examined his new weaponry, noting his surreal awareness that they were once the same weapon that almost killed him. He was already smirking behind his visor. He wasn't sure who he pitied more. His target and anyone who stands in his way for what he would do to them, or Stockton once he completes his true mission.


	7. Weight on her shoulders

The office of Professor Charles Xavier was as silent as its sole occupant, the paralysed telepath glued to the open book in his hands resting on his desk. He was not entirely engrossed in what he read, as he could sense every mutant, X-Man or student, who passed his door, including the one member of staff outside who needed to speak with him. Charles raised his head the same moment the door swung open and Logan stepped in.  
"Charles." He started blankly. The most he could get of a greeting from the Wolverine, Charles could tell.  
"Can I help you, Logan?" He asked. Logan immediately knew Charles was already aware of what he was after. He could already feel him in his mind the moment he entered the room.  
"Any point in asking?" He asked in response. Charles smiled, leaning back in his wheelchair. "Well, there's no need to forget our manners now, are there?"  
"And mind-reading is polite?"  
"Fair enough."  
"Anyway." Logan bought them back to the point. "You see Laura this morning? Can't find her anywhere."  
"Ah yes." Charles answered, placing his book onto the desk. "Just an hour ago actually. She asked me to tell you she'll be at Ridge Road Park."  
"Perfect." Logan murmured to himself in annoyance. He turned to leave before Charles called him back in.  
"It seems to me you two have...much to talk about." He told him, concern written all over him, Logan thought.  
"Said something about telling me what she's been through." Logan explained. "Weapon X, before she got here, the whole thing." A thought ocurred to him. If Charles already knew what was going on-  
"I think it's best if she told you herself." He told him grimly. "I haven't seen the whole story within her memory, but quite frankly, I wish I hadn't attempted to find out myself."  
"Right." Logan answered, deciding to change the subject. "Any luck finding out who or what that guy from last night was?"  
"Hank is still analysing the blood samples taken from your claws." Charles answered. "Whatever was done to create such a creature, we will soon learn it."  
"Know your enemy, huh?" said Logan. "Alright. I'll see what she's gotta say anyway." As he left the office, he paused and turned back.  
"What you reading?" He asked, giving the professor a smirk. "Fifty Shades?"  
"How dare you?" Charles answered as he returned the smile. They both laughed as Logan closed the door and Charles returned to his reading. Between running a school and organising operations to defend humans and mutants alike, he was grateful to have some leisure time to himself.

"So what do we do once we find this freak?" One of the black-armoured soldiers asked, raising his voice to be heard over the din of the helicopter's rotors entering the cabin. "Shoot to kill?"  
"Hell no!" One of his squadmates responded. "You hear about the last squad this guy went with?" He gestured, pointing with his thumb, towards X-50 who, once again, stood by the helicopter doors. He gave no response to the conversation. His mind was set only on his mission and it would stay that way. As long as he lived, his every thought would be on the mission.  
"Wasn't it Deadpool who killed them?" Another soldier asked, his skull-like helmet hiding his anxiety-ridden face. "I mean, didn't the casualty report confirm no bullet-wounds? Only-"  
"Cut the chatter." X-50 demanded to the rest of the squad. "We are at the perimeter of the AO. Land the chopper and prepare for immediate deployment." He turned to the squad leader, identified only by the mark on his shoulder-pad signifying his rank. "My requisition order?"  
"Right here." The squad leader handed him a large case, containing what the clone revealed to be an M40A3 sniper rifle. "The requested ammunition is already loaded into one clip. What exactly is the idea behind-"  
"None of your concern." X-50 snapped at him. "You have your orders, I have mine." On that, the helicopter doors opened and he turned to disembark.  
"What orders?" The soldier asked. "I thought we were meant to eliminate-What are you doing?!"  
X-50 Answered neither question. He simply leapt out of the helicopter, falling towards Ridge Road Park.  
"Didn't he take a parachute?" One of them asked.  
"Does he need one?" Another asked in response.

Laura lost track of how long she was on the bench for. Besides the occasional passer-by she politely smiled and waved to, the park was largely empty. At least the small corner of it she waited in. No sign of Logan. Only a couple of kids feeding ducks at the nearby pond. Seconds later, she caught the familiar scent and turned, smiling involuntarily as Logan approached.  
"Morning." He stated, hands in coat pockets. "Kept you waiting, huh?"  
"Not really." She faced forward again as he sat down beside her.  
"So." He started awkwardly after five seconds of silence.  
"You want to hear what happened to me." She finished.  
"Ready when you are." Although Logan never considered himself a normally sympathetic man, except on occasion, he hoped his own experience as a Weapon X lab rat may be of some use in what he knew would be a challenge for Laura.  
"Okay then." She started, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You already know I was born in their labs. And that I was raised to be your...um."  
"Replacement." Logan finished for her. "Apparently, they cloned you from my DNA."  
"Half of me." She pointed out. "Apparently, I was...concieved and born normally, so.."  
"Right, okay." Logan interrupted. "I know that part."  
"Sorry." Laura said, looking down in embarrasment. "Anyway, there's how I got these." She raised her fist, extending her claws.  
"You were born with those, right?" Logan asked. Laura shook her head.  
"When I was seven, I was tied down to a table and cooked with radiation." She explained. "It felt like I was in a giant microwave!"  
"Geezuz." Logan exclaimed. "Who does that?"  
"That was just the start of it." Laura told him, grimacing. "From there, it was none stop torture and experiments. Only two people there actually treated like a person and not a thing."  
"Including your mom?"  
"Yeah." She continued, pausing for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "The other was the guy who taught me how to fight. He was the only friend I had and..."  
"And what?" Logan asked, already guessing what happened. Laura sighed deeply before continuing.  
"They decided he was more trouble than he was worth, so they made me kill him. " For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Laura placed her hand over her face, leaning on it.  
"Sorry to hear that." Logan said. He wondered if he knew and killed anyone like that before his memory was taken.  
"Thanks." Laura replied. "They created some kind of chemical. They called it 'trigger-scent'. The idea was that if I ever smell it, I..." She stopped again, her face tuurning pale as she remembered the scent, the rage it caused, her rationality replaced with a primal bloodlust...  
"I turn into an animal and kill anything I can get my hands on." She finished as Logan continued to listen.  
"I think you mentioned that stuff, but-"  
"It gets worse." Laura told him, obviously struggling to continue her story. "After I turned ten or eleven, I'm not sure, they started selling me off to anyone who was paying for someone else to be killed."  
"A killer for hire." Logan concluded. "But not your decision and Weapon X got the cash." For the first time since she started, Laura noticed his familiar anger was building up once again.  
"I lost track of how many I killed, but there was a list." She stated. unbeknownst to her, Logan's rising anger was not towards her story, but at himself. He couldn't remember anything about what was done to him before he escaped. How could he have possibly hoped to understand what she had been through? If anything, she had it far worse and remembered everything.  
"Look kid." Logan started. "I already heard some of this between you and Deadpool, so you don't have to-"  
"No, you were right." She interjected. "I should have done this sooner."  
"Alright." said Logan, hesitantly. "And that Rice scumbag was in charge?"  
"He's dead." Laura told him blankly. "To be honest, I think I actually enjoyed killing him."  
"After what he did, I guess anyone would have." As he spoke, Logan withdrew a cigar and lighter from his jacket. "So what else?"

"Visual confirmed on target." said X-50, his finger pressed against the microphone button on his earpiece. "All units, hold position and prepare for extraction."  
"X-50, please confirm orders." The squad leader responded through the helmet's speaker. "Our objective is to eliminate speciment X-23?"  
"What is your name, trooper?" X-50 asked. He was met with a stunned silence.  
"Uhh...Sergeant Jack Parks, sir?"  
"There is alot you aren't aware of, Sergeant Parks, or what you need to be aware of." X-50 told him. "Now I expect your full cooperation, or I know what name to carve on your gravestone."  
Parks gave no response to this. X-50 continued to watch his targets, his predecessors, in the park. His choice of diguise a large tan overcoat and fedora to hide his armour and scarred face was regrettably conspicuous, but at least he won't recieve stares as he would had he openly displayed the black armour hidden beneath it. Looking upwards, he assessed the size of the building he stood outside, a smile appearing among his scars as his eyes lingered on the top floor.  
"That should do it" He thought to himself. "Quick clean shot from the end window." He looked down at the briefcase hanging at his side, his sniper rifle and helmet resting within. "Maybe not a _clean_ shot." He corrected himself. The clone was bought back to reality by a high-pitched shriek nearby. Looking towards it, in unison to the many bystanders around him, he saw a small child clinging to his mother, crying. Realising his face had been seen, and that there would be questions, X-50 stormed into the building before many people could figure out what the boy was screaming at. As long as the civilian population kept to their own business, he wouldn't have to slaughter every last one of them. He smirked to himself savagely as he ascended the stairs, forgetting but not caring what building he was actually in. He might go ahead and do it anyway, if he had time.

"Eventually, Rice sent me to kill his old boss and his whole family. " Laura continued. "I got him, and his wife, but their son..."  
"You didn't." Logan asked, dreading what he was going to hear. Laura paused for another moment.  
"I couldn't do it." She told him. "One look and I just couldn't..." She leaned forward, hands over her face again.  
"Hey, you didn't kill the kid." Logan reassured her. "That's gotta count for something."  
"But I killed his parents!" snapped Laura, turning on him. "He's an orphan now, and its my fault! That's why I-" She froze before she could finish the sentence, then slumped back onto the bench, looking down in depression yet again.  
"Why you, what?" Logan asked, his tone soaked in suspicion.  
"Why I tried to kill myself." Laura finished grimly. Logan said nothing but stared, visually disturbed. What could he say to something like that?  
"What stopped you?" He finally asked, unsure of how else to respond.  
"My mom." Laura answered. "Nothing I did worked, but she caught me trying it. That was when I told her what they were making me do." On this, she forced herself not to look at Logan, crossing her arms over her lap. "I wish to Hell I didn't."  
"I'm guessing that's when she broke you out." Logan stated. Laura still wouldn't look at him.  
"She let me out and I killed everyone I ran into." As Laura spoke, her face hardened while her tone became noticeably more savage. "I took my time with Rice."  
"So what happened when you got out?" Laura's expression fell once Logan asked this. She was not sure if she was ready to describe this.  
"Rice must have known she was planning something." She continued. "He must have had her clothes soaked in..." Her voice trailed off and she stared at nothing.  
"In what?"Leaning forwards, Logan could have sworn he saw a tear run down her face.  
"I killed her." As soon as the words left her mouth, Laura broke down. She dropped her face into both hands and wept.  
"Geezuz!" Logan exclaimed, rearing back in surprise. How the hell did he not see this coming. Unsure of what to do now, he hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder. this seems to have worked, as her crying softened before she placed her own hand over his.  
"I'm sorry." Said Laura, her voice quivering slightly. "I-I didn't think I'd..."  
"It wasn't your fault."  
"I tried telling myself that, but-"  
"You're not kidding yourself."  
"Right." Laura remained silent for a moment. Logan could guess she was simply recomposing herself before continuing.

"Thank you for taking the time to look into this, Hank." said Charles to Hank Mccoy, breaking the silence of the empty laboratory. He didn't answer at first, his eyes fixated on the papers in his clawed hands.  
"Well, it's a good thing I've got no classes scheduled for the moment, so..."  
He was interrupted by the ping of his analyser, notifying him of the completed scan of X-50's blood.  
"Interesting." the Beast started. "Unless this thing is on the fritz, the blood sample reads as a 50% match to Logan, and 50% to...Wade Wilson?"  
"Pardon?" Charles frowned as he wheeled his chair closer to the screen. "This man, he is..."  
"Not just a clone." Hank concluded grimmly. "Someone spliced their DNA into this clone. Put simply, he's a Wolverine/Deadpool hybrid."  
"Put very simply." Charles added. "Logan did say it displayed similar mutations to him, but the rate of its accelerated healing and endurance..."  
"How could such a thing be possible?" Hank asked incredulously. Realising that Charles was not answering, he turned towards him. "Professor?"  
He remained silent, deep in thought before finally speaking. "And now he is armed with carbonadium. And could there possibly be more like him?


End file.
